Fruit-drier.



' Patented Apr. l5, I902. L. VAN SCUYOG.

F RUIT D R E R.

(Application filed Nov. 27, 1901.\

(No Model.)

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LEROY VAN SCOYOC, OF LOUISVILLE, NEBRASKA.

FRUIT-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,673, dated April 15, 1902.

Application filed November 27, 1901. Serial No. 83,936. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY VAN SooYoo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Cass and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Driers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to fruit-driers.

The object of the invention is to provide a fruit-drier which shall be simple of construction, durable in use, comparatively inexpensive of production, and by means of which the fruit may be thoroughly dried and at the same time be protected from flies and other insects during the drying process.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved fruit-drier. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view. .Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the fruit-trays. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of two tray-frames, illustrating the manner of connecting them together.

Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes a suit able casing supported by legs 2 and having located therein a heating-coil 3, which has one end connected with a heater 4 and the other end arranged to exhaust the heat, as shown at 5.

6 denotes the roof of the casing, the longitudinal boards 7 of which are spaced apart to afiord ventilation. A ventilator-stack 8 may also be provided to augment the ventilation.

9 denotes a tray frame or casing, of which there may be any number and which are adapted to be stacked one upon the other and to be held in this position and against lateral movement by dowel-pins 9, fixed at the upper corners of each of said frames, and which are adapted when the frames are stacked to enter sockets 9 provided therefor in the lower corners of each of the said frames, as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. This stack of frames or only one frame, if desired, is placed upon the casing 1 above the heatingcoil 3 and adapted to be held thereon by dowelpins on the upper corners of the casing 1 in the same manner in which the tray-frames are held together.

After the required number of tray-frames have been stacked upon the casin g 1 the roofsection 6 is placed upon the top of the stack and held thereon by the dowel-pins of the upper tray frame entering sockets provided therefor in the lower corners of the sides of the roof-section.

It will thus be seen that by this construction an unlimited number of tray-frame sec tions may be used and the capacity of the drier be increased or diminished at will.

The tray-frames 9 consist of an open rectangular frame, the top and bottom sides of which are covered with a fine-mesh wire screen. Vithin this frame and adapted to slide between the top and bottom screens is a tray or drawer 10, having a foraminous or coarse-mesh wire-netting bottom, upon which is placed the fruit or other produce to be dried. It will thusbe seen that when the drawer or tray 10 is pushed to its closed position between the upper and lowerscreens of the frame 9 that the fruit thereon is entirely protected from flies or other insects. It will also be seen that when it is desired to replace the finished or dried fruit with a fresh supply in anyof the frames all that is necessary is to withdraw the tray to be replenished without disturbing the frame-stack at all. Furthermore, the trays may be conveniently interchanged duringthe process of drying, thereby. greatly expediting the same.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation, and advantages of my invention will bereadily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is

In a. fruit-drier, the combination with a cas- I In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ing consisting of upper and lower sections, of my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- :0 an interposed screen-section having a pin-andnesses. socket connection with the upper and lower w 5 casing-sections, said screen-section embody- LEROY VAN SQOYOO' ing three superposed screens,theintermedia,te Witnesses: one of which is removable, substantially as GEO. H. WOOD,

set forth. 7 PERoY W. AGNEW. g 

